I was in the same boat and so glad I gave it a try. Bought a Behmor for $299 and tried various coffees from Sweet Maria's. I roast espresso for myself and drip for the wife. It a fun hobby and very satisfying. Really not difficult at all. My worst roasts are 100x better than supermarket. The reason I tried was because I hated spending $10 on shipping for a tiny 12oz bag of fresh espresso that would only last about a week. Now, I roast half pound at a time and always have fresh coffee on hand. No more worrying about having too much or too little fresh coffee.

I'm very new to roasting, but I have looked at the same thing. It is safe to assume that your beans will loose at least 15% weight when you roast them. After shipping, you are probably looking at $6.50-$7.00 per lb for green beans. That works out to approximately $7.65 - $8.23 per roasted lb.

For me, I found a local roaster that sells fresh roasted coffee for $9-10 per lb. If I drink a lb a week, then I would save close to $1 per week. That is $50 per year. I bought a Behmor for $300, so that is a 6 year payback. Not a good investment if you were in the business world.

But... I really enjoy learning something new. I didn't do this to save money, but to learn and experiment, and I get to enjoy the end product. I haven't roasted a batch yet that was bad. All were better than supermarket beans. In addition, the local roaster will sell me his green beans, so I can save a little there and won't need to buy in such large batches. Also, I am still supporting the local business.

I wish I'd known what an incredible difference my entire coffee experience would be had I known the grinder and roaster made all the difference. Those two things alone took my coffee to new levels that no other change had. I have a roaster literally down the street but it's far more convenient to roast at my own pace and preference. I also find it cheaper than my alternatives (especially considering my student hour-to-hour value at right about minimum wage) to roast at home. I roast for friends and family too so I have cheap gifts and I sell to some. I have a fraction of my Behmor paid off thanks to people employing me and it to roast them beans!

If you seek good cafe quality drinks and your local alternatives and needs aren't suited to those roasters, it is definitely worth it in my opinion. Unless your time is very very expensive.

Thank you for the thorough math on this. I was curious and needed to see an algorithm to understand the savings to get to the quality. I'm interested in commercial down and bet there are some fun learnings along the way doing it from home.

I was in southern california and an organic grocer was selling freshly roasted bags just exhausting into the store. I got some great coffee and their little 3K machine did a credible roast job.

Home roasting for me serves to remind just how good the pros are and further my appreciation for truly exceptional coffee. I love home roasting, have for years, but I'll humbly submit that I can't hold a candle to the pros with the right equipment.

Home roasting takes a lot of time. You need to practice it until you'll get the perfect roast or what's suitable to you. You don't need to do it in one day, do it in your free time, maybe you'll like it as a hobby. It doesn't really mean you can save a lot of $. It depends on the price of the beans you got and the quantity you consume.

Every sweat, dollar, time spent on home roasting is worth the hassle. You won't regret the experience the thrill and joy of getting your own cup of Joe. But then again, it depends on each person. You need to have a lot of patience and dedication in the craft of home roasting.

Did you know...? Dark roast coffees actually have less caffeine than lighter roasts due to the fact that the process of roasting burns off caffeine.www.coffeeloversmag.com/theMagazine

I'm very new to roasting, but I have looked at the same thing. It is safe to assume that your beans will loose at least 15% weight when you roast them. After shipping, you are probably looking at $6.50-$7.00 per lb for green beans. That works out to approximately $7.65 - $8.23 per roasted lb.

For me, I found a local roaster that sells fresh roasted coffee for $9-10 per lb. If I drink a lb a week, then I would save close to $1 per week. That is $50 per year. I bought a Behmor for $300, so that is a 6 year payback. Not a good investment if you were in the business world.

Well, the green beans come from the same place that I was buying the roasted coffee from. However, after roasting some of the coffee myself, I think mine tastes better (I could be a little biased :) ). I think the main reason being that I really like roasts around City to City+. The shop that I was buying roasted beans from almost always roasts at full city.

This is another plus for me, much like the others are saying. I roast the coffee the way I like it and in smaller batches. It is always super fresh and tastes great, even in a drip machine.

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